The answer is to enable and analyze Application Load Balancer access logs, use CloudWatch metrics, and enable detailed monitoring on the EC2 instances. These three actions directly address the need to diagnose SAP application latency by providing request-level detail, resource-level bottlenecks, and high-resolution performance data. ALB access logs reveal which specific requests are slow, while CloudWatch metrics like CPU and memory utilization pinpoint resource constraints, and detailed monitoring offers one-minute granularity for spotting spikes. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to differentiate between diagnostic tools: VPC Flow Logs are a common distractor because they analyze network traffic, not application performance, and AWS Config tracks configuration drift, not latency. A useful memory tip is “Logs, Metrics, Detail” — ALB logs for request timing, CloudWatch metrics for resource health, and detailed monitoring for finer resolution.
PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An SAP system running on AWS is experiencing high latency in the application layer. The system uses a load balancer to distribute traffic across multiple EC2 instances. Which THREE actions could help diagnose the latency issue? (Choose THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Monitor the EC2 instance CPU and memory utilization using Amazon CloudWatch metrics.
Options A, B, and D are correct. CloudWatch metrics help identify resource bottlenecks. ALB access logs show request-level details. Detailed monitoring provides high-resolution metrics. Option C (VPC Flow Logs) helps with network analysis but not application latency. Option E (AWS Config) tracks configuration changes, not performance.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Monitor the EC2 instance CPU and memory utilization using Amazon CloudWatch metrics.
Why this is correct
High CPU/memory can cause latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Check AWS Config rules for any non-compliant resources.
Why it's wrong here
Config rules are for compliance, not performance diagnostics.
✓
Use Amazon CloudWatch detailed monitoring to get 1-minute metrics for EC2 instances.
Why this is correct
Detailed monitoring provides more granular data for analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Enable and analyze the Application Load Balancer access logs to identify slow requests.
Why this is correct
Access logs show request latency per target.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Review VPC Flow Logs to check for packet loss or throttling.
Why it's wrong here
Flow logs show network traffic, not application latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Flow logs show network traffic, not application latency.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PAS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Monitor the EC2 instance CPU and memory utilization using Amazon CloudWatch metrics. — Options A, B, and D are correct. CloudWatch metrics help identify resource bottlenecks. ALB access logs show request-level details. Detailed monitoring provides high-resolution metrics. Option C (VPC Flow Logs) helps with network analysis but not application latency. Option E (AWS Config) tracks configuration changes, not performance.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which PAS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This PAS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PAS-C01 exam.
Question Discussion
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